The Marriage List
by Martian Goddess
Summary: Scorpius Malfoy had his life right on track. He had just gotten his N.E.W.T. results confirming his suspicions of all Os. He had a career lined up. And then his parents dropped the bomb. He had to be engaged to one of the girls on the marriage list within a year. Hilarity ensues as he finds each and every one utterly unacceptable. Or not? *Arranged Marriage Challenge Fic*
1. Chapter 1: The News

_Author's Note: Hi! This is written for the arranged marriage challenge by Lizaluvsdoggies. I'm supposed to do a new chapter every two weeks… no promises on that. I do have school, a life, and 3 other stories I'm working on. For those of you reading my other stories, this is completely separate, so this Scorpius is not the same Scorpius talked about in my other stories :)_

_Hope you enjoy!_

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**Chapter One: The News**

Scorpius rolled out of bed – literally – upon hearing an owl pecking at his window. He scrambled frantically towards the owl when he realized what the noise was.

Today was the day; the day when his future was determined. He had gotten his N.E.W.T. results two weeks prior and immediately forwarded them to the Auror Training Office.

Today. Today was the day when he found out if he had been accepted.

Today was the _most_ important day of his life. This was _everything_ he has been working for since he had been old enough to understand his family history. He was **determined** to change how the wizarding world saw the Malfoy family. And he had already succeeded mostly among his peers at school. He may have been sorted into Slytherin but it was not for the traditional reasons. He was sorted into Slytherin because of his ambition to change the meaning of his family name.

And he had truly done amazing things while at Hogwarts. He was a gentleman to all, no matter their blood status. He worked for his grades rather than having them handed to him. He worked hard as a prefect and a fifth year to get all Os on his O.W.L.s. He had made Head Boy and gotten all Os on his N.E.W.T. examinations as well.

But now it was time for the real world. He may have gotten the test scores to become an Auror, but there was still the stigma surrounding his family. Would they really allow a _Malfoy_ to become an Auror? After all, Aurors were dark wizard catchers and Malfoys were known for being dark wizards.

He also knew about the history between his father and the Head of the Auror Department, Harry Potter. From what his father had said, there were legitimate reasons behind his hatred of Malfoys. And yet, Harry had also testified at his grandmother's hearing after the war and kept her out of Azkaban; and through that, his father as well.

But he _needed _to become an Auror. If he became an Auror, people could no longer think him a dark wizard. After all, no one would dare contradict the great Harry Potter in his decision to make a Malfoy an Auror.

Scorpius' hands trembled as he took the letter from the owl's beak. He turned it over to see the crest of the Ministry of Magic stamped on the envelope. As the bird flew off, he walked slowly back over to his bed before sitting down on the edge. He stared at the letter as though in a trance. He slowly slid his index finger under the flap and slit it open. He pulled out the letter to read,

_**Dear Mr. Scorpius Malfoy,**_

_**As the Head of the Auror Department, I, Harry Potter, am pleased to inform you that you have been selected as one of the few to begin the three years of training to become an Auror.**_

He stopped reading there as he jumped off the bed and ran downstairs at full speed. As expected, he found his parents in the breakfast room, already up and dressed. He could tell from his father's face that his blatant disregard of manners was not appreciated, but he was too excited to care. He couldn't help but crow with joy. "I GOT ACCEPTED!"

Draco's jaw dropped. Scor knew that while his father had supported his ambition, he did not honestly believe that he would be accepted. His mother on the other hand… she smirked happily, ready with an 'I told you so' on the tip of her tongue. Despite the doubts of Draco, and indeed, Scorpius himself, she had claimed all along that he would be accepted. And his mother _loved_ to be right. In spite of her urge to gloat, she chose to simply stand up gracefully and envelope her only child in a very big hug. "I'm so proud of you, my baby."

"Thanks Mum. Thank you for believing in me."

"Of course. I never doubted you. But," she pulled back to look him in the eyes, "there is something else that we must discuss now that your career plans have been solidified."

Scorpius raised an eyebrow in question. He could not think of anything else that needed to be discussed. He was only eighteen after all. He did not need to have his _entire_ life planned out already.

His father chose that moment to speak up. "Your mother is correct, Scorpius. Come. Sit." Once obeyed, he called out, "Anna!" A house elf appeared before him. "Bring the list from my study, please."

"Of course Master Malfoy!" she replied in a high, squeaky voice before apparating away.

_List? What list?_ Now Scorpius was truly nervous. When his father made a list, it was normally not for a good thing. _What's on this list? What does it have to do with me? What did I do wrong that needs correcting? What part of my future could it possibly refer to? Why are they—_

His internal musings were cut off as Anna returned with said list. Draco laid down the list in front of himself before speaking. "Now that your career is settled, there is one more matter of your future that must also be settled. As you know, Astoria's and my marriage was arranged—"

Scor cut him off there. "NO! No way! I refuse to have my wife picked out for me! I will find my own wife in my own time—"

Draco held up a hand to silence him. "If you remembered your manners and let me finish, you would have heard me say that we are not going to be doing things that way for you. Your mother and I were some of the very lucky few who fell in love with the one picked out for them. However, that is often not the case. As such, we have made a list. Each young woman on this list is considered acceptable for a marriage into a family such as ours. You may go about things as you wish, but you have until one year from today to be engaged to one of the girls on this list. I would have said you needed to be married within a year, but I think your mother would have killed me if I had tried to give her so little time to plan your wedding." The corners of his mouth turned up into a smile at the last comment.

Scorpius on the other hand could find no reason to smile. He had thought he had escaped an arranged marriage when his parents had never mentioned it before. After all, despite what they may say about having a choice, it was still an arranged marriage. And he was only eighteen! He wasn't ready to be married. He was just barely getting started on his career. Given the choice, he would have waited until he was a fully fledged Auror at least before considering becoming that serious with a girl. He looked between his parents' faces. His mother's reflected a loving determination. He could tell that she really thought that it was the best they could do for him. His father's reflected a cold determination. It was clear that while he approved of Scor's efforts to better the world's view of the family name, he still firmly believed in staying pure. Scor would have bet his entire inheritance that every single girl on that list was a pureblood. Probably all Slytherin too.

There was one more concern though that was of importance to him. "What about the girls? Do they have no say in this?"

His mother was the one to answer this time. "We have discussed the matter with each girl and her parents. They understand that any girl has the right to refuse your advances or proposal. However, each and every girl knows you and is willing to give you a chance."

"They all know me?"

"Yes. They were all in your year at Hogwarts."

Scorpius mulled over that for a moment. Hmm. At least he would have some background knowledge before going out with each girl. He could only hope that certain girls were not on that list. There were some girls in his year that were utterly unacceptable for what he had planned in life or simply utterly intolerable as people. There had to be at least one good girl on the list though, didn't there? At least one girl he would be willing to spend the rest of his life with…

Astoria spoke up again. "Would you like to see the list now?"

"Yes, please." Now he could see what his options were.

She slid the paper across the table until it rested face down in front of him.

He gingerly turned it over to read the names listed there.

**Georgiana Goyle  
Mary Flint  
Jane Nott  
Marlena MacDougal  
Agatha Bulstrode  
Calinda Klutterbey  
Magenta Brown  
Rowan MacMillan**

He was unsurprised to find that every girl was indeed, pureblood. He was however, quite surprised to see that they were not all Slytherin. In fact, while the majority was, there were included two Hufflepuffs and a Ravenclaw. The lack of Gryffindors was obvious as the only purebloods, or close enough to purebloods, in that house for his year were all members of the Weasley-Potter clan. Any of them would of course not be deemed acceptable by Draco Malfoy.

Well, he had to start somewhere, so he might as well start with the one girl he knew quite personally. He was certain however that his father had only included her out of loyalty to his old friend. After all, everyone knew she was as utterly thick-skulled as her father.

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_Author's Note: Thank you for reading! Now please REVIEW!_


	2. Chapter 2: The First Date

_Author's Note: Tada! The next chapter. Life has been crazy but I finally finished it. I hope you like it and if it sounds kind of ridiculous, that's because it's supposed to._

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**Chapter Two: The First Date**

_Georgiana Goyle_.

The first name on the list.

Scor couldn't believe that his father had actually included her. Yes, she was pureblood. Yes, she was Slytherin. Yes, she was the daughter of his father's school mate. But honestly! He didn't even think she knew how to say actual words. All she ever seemed to do was grunt.

He wasn't sure he wanted to take her out even once. But if push came to shove with his father, he wanted to be able to say he had given every single girl on the list the same chance.

So here he was, standing at the gates to the Goyle estate. As soon as he touched the gates, they swung open to admit him onto the grounds. He approached the magnificent front doors, trying to decide what to say to get more than a grunt out of her. He snorted at that. Like it mattered. He had no serious intentions towards her.

He knocked on the front doors which immediately swung open to show a house elf waiting on the other side.

He put on the face of a bored aristocratic pureblood. "I'm here to pick up Miss Georgiana for dinner." It was best not to show any real interest in her. She was so thick that she might actually come to believe she had a chance with him if he did. _As if_.

The house elf, whose name he could not quite remember from previous visits to the mansion, led him into the front sitting room. Rather than risk looking too approachable by sitting down, he chose instead to stand and stare moodily into the fire.

He heard Georgiana stomping through the halls towards the sitting room long before he saw her enter. He did not acknowledge her presence at first. Rather, he studied her out of the corner of his eye. She was not utterly repulsive in looks. Indeed, she was minimally attractive if one did not look past the surface. He, however, couldn't _not_ look past the surface. He had known her since birth and had never liked her. He valued intelligence in girls and Georgiana had none.

She grunted then, as though to gain his attention. He lazily turned to look her up and down. He raised an eyebrow as though questioning her choice in clothing before speaking. "I have made reservations at The Golden Dragon in Diagon Alley. We should leave now if we are to get there on time."

She grunted in response, too thick to notice the veiled insult in his looks and words.

Not waiting for any further recognition, he headed back out the way he had come. He did not bother to spare her a glance, in reality hoping she wouldn't follow and he could get out of this horrid evening. Unfortunately, he was not so lucky.

Upon exiting the manor grounds, he held out his arm to her for Side-Along Apparation. He knew through his father that she had never managed to get her license as she always seemed to splinch herself.

His arm was met with a bewildered gaze. She did not seem to know what to make of it.

"You didn't expect to take the Knight Bus to Diagon Alley, did you? I happen to be able to apparate and can even do side-along, so how about you grab on and we'll be there momentarily."

She didn't even grunt in acknowledgement of his words. However, she must have heard him because in an instant she was latched onto his arm like a leech trying to bleed him dry.

As promised, they were soon in front of The Golden Dragon. It was a formal dining venue that was only frequented by the richest, and often the snobbiest, of the British Wizarding world. He did not particularly care for the atmosphere of the place or the people that frequented it, but due to his status, it was often necessary to associate with the like. He had to ensure that any wife of his would be able to handle such situations without breaking under the pressure or turning into a homicidal maniac.

Being a Malfoy, the maitre d' didn't even have to ask for a name before leading them to a small table in a fairly private corner of the restaurant. Remembering the manners that had been drilled into him since birth, he held out Georgiana's chair for her before sliding it in as she sat down.

As they began to read the menus that had been provided, Scor attempted to start a conversation. "So, what are your plans now that you have finished school?"

A grunt was his only response.

He continued on in spite of it. He did not want to sit there silently all evening after all. "Personally, I was just accepted to begin my Auror training. I start with the new group of trainees in September."

This succeeded in eliciting what he believed to be a disbelieving grunt. Going with that assumption, he replied, "I know. I didn't think I'd be accepted either. Mother knew though. She always seems to know these things. I should have known better to question her." He knew he was rambling but he couldn't think what else to do as she refused to use real words.

The awkwardly one-sided conversation was thankfully interrupted by the arrival of their waiter for the evening. "What can I get you to drink this evening?"

When Georgiana didn't even grunt, Scor ordered for the both of them. "A butterbeer each, please."

"I will return shortly."

This time, Scor focused on his menu, hoping to order as soon as the waiter returned. After all, the sooner they ordered, the sooner they got their food and ate and could _leave_. Already he was regretting even giving her a chance. He had never enjoyed her company in the past so it had really just been wishful thinking, hoping that he could at least get her to use real words at some point during the date.

Unfortunately, even ordering couldn't get her to speak. In the end, he simply ordered dragon steaks with mint sauce and potatoes for each of them. The dragon steaks would cost but he could afford it. Or more accurately, his family could afford it.

While they waited for their food to arrive, Scor tried to think of a topic that would elicit a response, perhaps in the form of actual words, from Georgiana. By the time their food had arrived, he still had yet to come up with something to talk about. He decided to give up finally and simply focus on the food before him. He really did enjoy dragon steaks.

Upon glancing up from his food, he was disgusted to see Georgiana scarfing her food down, scarcely giving herself time to breathe between bites. He was exceedingly grateful when their meal was finished. When the waiter inquired as to dessert, he was quick to deny any desire for such and gave the necessary information so that the money for the dinner could be transferred from his family's Gringotts vault.

Despite his desire to simply leave her in Diagon Alley to find her own way home, his breeding won out in the end and he apparated her back to the gates of the Goyle estate. He did not however go past said gates. "Georgiana, I am truly sorry, but I feel honor bound to inform you that I am not at present interested in further pursuing a romantic relationship with you."

The effort he put into letting her down easily was wasted as she merely shrugged and headed through the gates for the manor.

Scor watched her go before heaving a sigh of relief. The worst one was done with. Hopefully. With the others on the list, there was a definite possibility of there being worse dates than this. Though he wasn't certain as to how they would occur.

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_Author's Note: Please REVIEW! I love to hear what you have to say and ideas for future dates are welcome!_


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